Behind the Battered Heart and Broken Eyes
by RedSwanQueen
Summary: Shelby is a teacher. Rachel is a student. They don't know each other until fate puts Rachel in Shelby's class. Will Shelby discover her daughter? And what will she find if she does? How will Rachel react and what is her secret?
1. Chapter 1

(a/n) Ok here is a go at a new story. Let me know what you think!

"_I can't keep her." A sixteen year-old Shelby Corcoran stated as she held her swollen belly. She still couldn't believe that she was already almost 9 months. In a couple of weeks a beautiful little girl would be entering the world. _

"_Damn right you can't. Look at you, you are only sixteen years old," Shelby's best friend Samantha looked at her, still shocked at the fact that Shelby was pregnant. "When are your parents gonna let you move back in?" Shelby looked down._

"_I don't think they will," she says quietly, more to herself than her friend. This was the sad truth that she was still coming to terms with. It wasn't even her fault that she was in this situation. _

_Samantha looked sympathetically at Shelby. "I'm sorry, but you can only stay with me until the baby's has come. After that…" _

"_No it's fine. As I said before I can't keep her. I have to give her the best chance she has for a life."_

"Ms. Corcoran?" Shelby snapped out of her flashback and straightened up at her desk. "Ms. Corcoran do you have that assignment ready for me yet?" asked Principal Figgins. Shelby straightened her papers and handed them to him. "Thank you Miss Corcoran. I hope you are ready for the hooligans this year."

Shelby sighed. "Yeah… another year, more drama. Another way to tell myself I am getting much older."

"Oh Ms. Corcoran," Figgins puts a hand on Shelby's shoulder, "You are too funny." Shelby slightly moves away from Figgins touch.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Shelby says as she stands up and walks out of her classroom.

Shelby didn't get much rest that night. She really didn't want start another year of teaching. She still dreamt of Broadway every night, the feeling of the hot spot on her. Oh she had longed for those days again. The flashback today caused her a great deal of thought. How did she go from pregnant teen to Broadway star and then back to useless schoolteacher? It just amazed her how her life had changed for the better then to the worse. She fell asleep dreaming of the life she once had.

"Hello class. I hope you are having a wonderful first day of school! Welacome to History." The class started with the usual greetings and talks about the class. Nearly 15 minutes in the door opened and a short girl ran hurriedly in. She took a seat near the front. Shelby turned around from the blackboard. "Thank you for finally joining us Ms…"

"Berry. Rachel Berry." The girl was short and slim. She had dark chocolate eyes and long wavy hair. She looked so familiar. It took Shelby a moment to regain her stride.

"Well Rachel just make sure it doesn't happen again." The girl made some frantic quick nods.

Throughout the hour Shelby kept sneaking glances at the girl. Her hair, her face, her body, she had seen her somewhere before, but Shelby couldn't put her finger on it. As the students were leaving she finally recognized where she had seen the girl before. It was 13 years ago when she was looking in the mirror.


	2. Chapter 2

**(a/n) Thank you so much for all of the reviews and alerts about this story! I appreciate all forms of feedback. **

At exactly 2:40 the bell rang. At 2:41 Shelby had made her way to her car and was halfway out of the parking lot. She drove ten miles above the speed limit the entire journey home.

After parking crookedly Shelby ran into her apartment. She threw her bags and work on the couch and ran to an old bookshelf. She quickly pulled out a yearbook from when she was just a girl in high school. She flipped through the pages hurriedly. Then she saw it, her junior year photo. The resemblance was uncanny, the hair, the eyes, the face. It was as if Shelby was seeing a ghost. She sat down hard on her bed. She was shocked.

She let herself lay back. This absolutely could not be possible. There was no way her biological daughter could just pop back into her life. It wasn't supposed to work that way. She couldn't make contact with her daughter until she turned 18. _Wait, wait, wait. _Shelby thought, _I don't know for sure she is my daughter. _Shelby relaxed at that thought. There was nothing she could do. Rachel probably didn't even know. It could stay that way… for a while at least.

Shelby made herself dinner and went to bed reading some magazines that she didn't have time to read before. She turned off the light and crawled under the covers. No matter how hard she tried Shelby couldn't fall asleep. She knew it sounded creepy but all she could think about was Rachel. What were the odds that she would end up in her class anyway?

It seemed entirely impossible. Or was it? Maybe fate was playing with her life, treating her like a pawn on the board. Shelby didn't know what to think about Rachel yet. Shelby actually didn't know why she was thinking about Rachel at all. It's not like she could do anything about her. For all Shelby knew Rachel was just a freak clone.

The next day Shelby was prepping her classroom for the first lessons of the year when someone walked in behind her. She turned around and immediately saw who it was.

"I just wanted to apologize formally for being late yesterday. It will never happen again." Shelby turned and smiled.

"It's fine Rachel, really, it's fine. First days of school will always be a little weird." Rachel just gave a little smile and nod.

"Oh you don't have to tell me. This is my fourth school in 2 years." Shelby was surprised. Rachel had her full attention now.

"Really? You and your family move around a lot?" Rachel shook her head.

"Nah. I don't have a family." Shelby's heart broke the tiniest bit at this. Rachel didn't know this but her family was possibly right next to her. The bell rang and Rachel made a move to go sit down.

"Well Rachel you are forgiven." Rachel just nodded and took her seat.

Throughout the lesson for the day Shelby studied Rachel. She just sat there and diligently took notes. It was almost as if taking notes was the only thing to keep her alive. Not once did Rachel ever raise her hand nor did she attempt to make contact with any of the other students. That seemed slightly odd to Shelby. When she was a student she strived to be the best, wouldn't that be passed down to Rachel? Shelby had to constantly remind herself that there was no evidence that they were related. She hated the fact that she had no clue if she was right or not.

It only seemed like minutes later and the bell rang. "Class dismissed. Have a good day." Shelby returned to her desk as the students filed out.

At McKinley the teachers changed classrooms almost every hour. You would see teachers pushing carts of supplies through the halls and commons area, getting to their next classroom. It was a confusing system but it seemed to work.

After packing up all her materials Shelby started the long and sometimes terrifying trek to her second classroom across the school. She didn't like mixing in with the students between periods. She felt awkward. "Hey new girl!" Shelby recognized that voice right away. David Karofsky.

Shelby turned around just in time to see a slushie launch through the air and nail Rachel right in the face. The group of students surrounding her just laughed and kept on with their lives. Rachel just stood their shocked, shlushie was dripping down her face and chunks had fallen into her hair and onto her books. Shelby didn't know what to do. Before she could even think Rachel had disappeared. Only a pile of melting slushie marked where she had been.

The second day of school went by faster than the first. The class clowns had been identified and those who would succeed made themselves known.

After the last students had left her classroom Shelby walked through the emptying halls into the language department. Once she reached the room she was looking for she knocked and entered. "Will?"

Shelby's long time friend Mr. Schuester looked up from his desk. "Shelby! How are you?"

"I don't have time to chat Will."

"Oh. What's up?"

Shelby sighed, "I need some advice... If I said I found my biological daughter what should I do?" Will smiled brightley.

"You finally found her? That's fantastic."

"No. I don't know for sure. I think she is astudent in my class. But what should I do?" Will thought for a moment.

"Well if I were in your situation I would get to know her better. Learn more about her. Befriend her. Gain her trust."

"Thats a good idea but I can't make direct contact with her like that."

"Well I don't know what you should do then," Will said finally. Shelby just sat there. Then an idea came into her head.

"You don't know what to do... But I do."

Shelby got home after she went to the local 3 dot liquor store. She was going to need a lot of 'help' tonight.

After pounding down a couple shots. Shelby felt the courage to do what she had to. Shelby got out her cell and dialed the number. She waited while it was ringing. Finally someone answered. Shelby took a long breath.

"puck?"

**(a/n) sorry for the long wait! Also the 'letter after O' key on my keyboard is broken. Kinda ruined my day. Anyway read and review! Thanks for all the support!**


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